From cabin crew to cockpit: Malaysian woman’s AirAsia pilot dreams take off
Por The Star — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Malaysia Asia Southeast Asia From cabin crew to cockpit: Malaysian woman’s AirAsia pilot dreams take off
Suriati Sukardi said her journey with the airline showed ambitions could soar with determination and ‘a bit of luck’
1 -MIN READ 1 -MIN Listen
The Star Published: 3:30pm, 6 Oct 2026 Updated: 3:37pm, 6 Oct 2026 She spent some of her teenage years helping her mother at a sundry shop in Malaysia after school, and throughout that period kept a dream of achieving something higher alive.
Now, 36-year-old Suriati Sukardi is a pilot, flying AirAsia’s commercial A320 and A321 Airbus aircraft.
Before that, she had landed a job as the airline’s flight attendant and served the company for eight years since 2017 while continuing to eye and seek an opportunity to climb further in her career.
In 2019, her prayers were answered when she was offered the chance to take up aviation lessons, completing her course to become a pilot in 2022.
Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice